Back in November, Google created a new division focused on “high-potential, long-term projects,” like augmented reality. Google Labs now has a team working on blockchain and other related technologies.
According to Bloomberg, this new group within Google Labs is focused on “blockchain and other next-gen distributed computing and data storage technologies.” Shivakumar Venkataraman, an engineering vice president that has worked on advertising infrastructure and payments systems for over a decade, will be leading.
The report cites a source saying that the “unit working on blockchain is relatively small compared with Google’s other product areas.” Ultimately, this work sounds more oriented towards research, with infrastructure implications for the company’s sprawling network and storage needs, rather than being consumer-focused.
Google Labs is meant to work on “long-term technology projects that are in direct support of [its] core products and businesses.” Besides blockchain, other known efforts include augmented reality and the Area 120 incubator that releases consumer and other small business applications.
This comes as Google’s head of commerce said today that it’s looking into cryptocurrencies, but had no immediate news on whether its payment service would eventually accept it for transactions.
More on Google Labs:
- Report: Google is indeed working on AR smart glasses with a new project
- Google developing ‘Augmented Reality OS’ for ‘innovative AR device’
- Area 120’s ‘Qaya’ makes it easy to create centralized web storefronts
- [Update: Shutting down] Area 120’s ‘Museletter’ turns your Google Docs into paid newsletters
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
